Unexpected
by MegOfAllTrades
Summary: A lot of things in the HP universe are unexpected, and Sirius Black's release from Azkaban in this AU fic is just one of them. Harry Potter finally has a family in this tale of unexpected reunions set in the summer he turns 11.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: You know the drill; everything except the plot is J.K. Rowling's. 

**Prologue**:

At around four in the afternoon a lithe young man whose hair was beginning to prematurely gray sits in his cottage in rural Wales, on the outskirts of a small village, quietly reading a book in his living room.

At the same time, far away and across the North Sea, a man in ragged gray robes sits and shivers in a bleak stone cell. He is thin, almost emaciated looking, with a long tangle of black matted hair falling past his shoulders. He sits in the torturous pit known as Azkaban, guarded by those most fearful of creatures, Dementors. He sits with arms wrapped around his knees, staring with blank eyes at something only he can see, and softly whispers a single word…"Harry…"

And hundreds of miles away in the small town of Little Whinging in Surrey, a small and skinny boy with messy black hair and brilliant green eyes, dressed in large, baggy clothes, plays listlessly with some cheap and broken toys in the tiny cupboard he has called home for the past ten years.

All three continue their activities, not knowing that their lives would all be irrevocably changed within three months.

Again.


	2. Ch 1: Discoveries and Changes

Ch. 1- Discoveries and Changes for the Better

          As our story unfolds, the young man with the graying hair is once again quietly reading a book in his living room, as he often does in the afternoons. Remus Lupin is a retiring sort, which is perfectly understandable given his condition. For most of the month, he is the quietest, meekest person you could ever hope to meet. But beneath his small cottage, in the darkest corner of his cellar, lies a heavily soundproofed chamber protected by heavy steel walls and a thick wooden door girded by iron bars and secured with a lock that only human hands can open. It is here that he transforms once a month into the beast known as a werewolf. 

His transformations are easier now, thanks to the advent of the Wolfsbane Potion and a certain Headmaster of Hogwarts who is willing to procure it for him. Because of his lycanthropy however, he has had trouble finding a paying job. He manages to scrape by, writing the occasional treatise for the wizarding journals, growing and selling medicinal herbs and potions, and receives some money from the sale of his autobiography _Hairy Snout, Human Heart,_ as well as what little money his parents left him. And he is about to receive a visitor. More than one, in fact.

          Remus looked up from his book as his fireplace flared up and turned green, signifying an imminent visitor via the floo network. He set his book aside and stood up, wand at the ready. The visitor proved to not be a threat, however, by managing to trip over his feet as he stepped out of the fireplace. The young red-haired boy fell flat on his face, and something in his front shirt pocket squeaked once in a sleepy sort of way once and fell silent. Remus inwardly chuckled as he helped the now somewhat red-faced boy up. The boy dusted himself off and, still slightly blushing, said, "Um, are you Remus Lupin?"

          "I am. And who might you be?" asked Remus.

          "Ron. Ron Weasley; my mum sent me to buy a few things…" replied Ron a bit awkwardly, fishing around in his trouser pocket before pulling out a neatly folded square of parchment which he handed to Remus.

          As Remus turned towards to the cellar to retrieve the herbs Mrs. Weasley had wanted, a sudden loud squeaking sounded from behind him. He turned back around to see Ron trying to control a thrashing gray rat that had emerged from his pocket. A very familiar rat that was missing a toe on its right front paw.

          Remus quickly whipped out his wand and pointed it at Ron, who was still trying to keep hold of the wildly thrashing rat. Ron, who looked somewhat mystified and not a little scared, nervously took a step back. Remus spoke, his voice calm and controlled. "Ron, could see your rat for a moment?"

          Ron looked puzzled, but handed him over. Still looking somewhat bewildered, he spoke as Remus was carefully looking over the rat that was desperately trying to escape his grip.  "Well, he's not really my rat; he's my brother Percy's, and he's letting me take care of him this term so that I can prove I'm responsible enough to care for a pet all the time-" He was cut off at this point by Remus muttering a Stunning spell at the rat which fell limply in his hand. Ron looked shocked. "Hey! What'd you do that for?" he asked.

          "I'll explain everything a bit later on, but for right now, I have a few calls to make, so it would be best if you were to take these-" summoning and neatly wrapping a package of herbs and handing them to Ron "- and be sure to let your mother know I'll be contacting her about all this shortly. I have reason to be believe that this is not a rat."

          Ron took a pinch of Floo powder and stumbled in to the fireplace, saying "The Burrow!" Remus stared for a few minutes at the rat he held, then placed it in an unbreakable jar he conjured up.

          Several calls and two hours later, Remus stood in Dumbledore's office in Hogwarts, carrying the rat in the jar. It had woken up about fifteen minutes earlier and, after a period of frantic squeaking and wild attempts to scrabble up the side of the jar, it had settled to shivering miserably in the bottom of the jar. Remus was joined by Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge, and had just finished explaining the story of how his friends had become Animagi and how he had found Pettigrew.

          "But Mr. Lupin, I don't understand how this could possibly be Peter Pettigrew. I will admit that while there have been instances of unregistered Animagi, this could be any rat." Fudge was saying. 

          "This is not just 'any rat,' Minister. I spent almost every full moon in my fifth through seventh years running with James, Sirius, and Peter; I know their scents as well as I know my own. This is without a doubt Peter Pettigrew. And if I am correct, he has a lot to answer for." said Remus, his eyes glinting eerily. With that, he unscrewed the lid of the jar, lifted Peter firmly out, and cast the spell that would revert him back to his human form. With a flash of blue light, Peter Pettigrew was sitting on the floor whimpering and clutching his hands together. 

          "R-Remus, I-it's good to see you again…" he said nervously.

          "Peter." Remus nodded towards him in recognition then, covering him with his wand, asked "Professor, would it be possible to fetch Veritaserum from the potions stores in the dungeon?" 

          Dumbledore nodded and said, "I believe that can be arranged." He tossed a pinch of sparkly purple powder into his fireplace and said "Professor Snape, a word please." A minute later Snape's form appeared, revolving, in the fireplace. He scowled as he dusted ash off of his robes. 

"This had better be important, Headmaster. I was in the middle of class, and I don't trust leaving any of the first years, let alone the Weasley twins, in my dungeon for a second…"

Professor Dumbledore raised his hand for silence, and cut Snape off. "I would not have pulled you out of your class if it were not of the utmost importance. We need a vial of Veritaserum and only you can provide us with that."

          Snape's scowl deepened as he caught sight of Lupin, and he growled, "I will return momentarily." He swept from the room and returned a few moments later carrying a small vial of completely clear potion, which he handed to Dumbledore. 

The elderly professor in turn handed it to the Minister, saying, "If you would care to do the honors." Swallowing nervously, he stepped forward and administered three drops of the potion to Pettigrew, who by now was paralyzed by fear.

Remus began the questioning. "Could you tell us exactly what happened, from your point of view, the day Sirius was arrested?"

Peter stated in a monotone voice "I'd been running all night. Sirius eventually found me outside a café, just outside London. He was angry enough to kill me at that point, but before he could do anything I shouted for the whole street to hear that he had betrayed James and Lily. Then, with the wand I had hidden behind my back, I blew up the street and cut off my finger to fake my own death. Then I turned into a rat and ran down into the sewer."

Remus nodded grimly. "Did Sirius betray the Potters' location?"

Peter continued. "No. I did."

Remus frowned slightly and said "How can that be, if he was their Secret-Keeper?"

Peter said "We switched at the last minute to me; it was Sirius' idea. He thought it would be the perfect bluff, but he didn't know I'd been working for You-Know-Who."

Everyone in the room stood in stunned silence at this piece of information, and the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes had gone out. Fudge looked totally shocked, and as Peter was Stunned and placed in a Mobilicorpus charm, he said, "We've made a terrible, terrible mistake. By all accounts, Sirius Black is innocent of the crimes he was charged with."

A trial date was set for the next day, and a jury was quickly assembled. Cornelius Fudge was presiding, and Sirius Black was brought from Azkaban to testify under Veritaserum. Remus was in the audience. He knew he'd be called on to testify, and had worn his best robes for the occasion. He saw three guards bringing Sirius into the courtroom, shackled at his wrists. He was emaciated looking, painfully thin, with a mass of knotted hair that hung to the middle of his back. He had been dressed in new robes and a cleaning charm cast on him for the trial, but his eyes were haunted and lost. As they were bringing him in, his gaze fell on Remus, his eyes widened, and he mouthed the word "Moony…" as he was being led to his seat.

Fudge called the courtroom to order. "We are here today to determine the innocence and/or guilt of Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew as regards the crimes for which Mr. Black has been convicted. Recent events have necessitated the reopening of this case, and as Mr. Pettigrew has refused to testify, copies of his earlier testimony under Veritaserum have been distributed to the jury. After a psychological examination, Mr. Black has been found competent to stand trial and will be questioned under Veritaserum in due course. We now call our first witness…" and the trial began. Numerous people were called to testify, including most of the Weasleys, Hagrid, Remus, and Albus Dumbledore, among others. Finally, Sirius Black was called to the stand. He corroborated Peter's story exactly, and the entire trial took just one day. 

The jury deliberated for half an hour and came back with a unanimous verdict. After a short recess in which both Remus and Dumbledore discussed the terms of Sirius' release with Fudge, the court was called back to order. Fudge stood and cleared his throat.

"The court has reached a verdict of Guilty for Peter Pettigrew, and so we must find Sirius Black innocent of all charges against him. Mr. Black is henceforth acquitted of all charges and released from Azkaban, and is to be awarded the sum of 10,000 Galleons as compensation for wrongful imprisonment. He is once again a member in good standing of magical society and is to be afforded all rights and privileges thereof. His wand will be returned to him, and immediate custody of Harry Potter given to him as dictated in Lily and James Potter's will. As both he and Peter Pettigrew are currently unregistered Animagi, both will be registered and added to the official record. James Potter will be posthumously registered. Finally, Peter Pettigrew will be sentenced to life in Azkaban and placed under spells that inhibit his Animagus transformation. This case is now officially closed and court is adjourned." He banged his gavel once and then left the courtroom.

The guards removed the shackles from Sirius' wrists amid a hailstorm of clapping, cheering, and general jocularity. Remus vaulted the rail that separated the courtroom and rushed to Sirius' side. Sirius was stunned; he whispered "I'm free…" and Remus embraced him like a brother. After a minute, Sirius remembered to hug him back and he mumbled, "Forgive me, Moony…"

Remus looked him in the eyes. "Only if you'll forgive me, Padfoot."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

          After around two months of rest, rehabilitation, and plenty of sun and food, Sirius was back to something resembling his old self. Granted, he was much quieter and more brooding now, and was still rather thin, but even ten years with the dementors had not completely extinguished that spark of life that was slowly being nursed back to full flame by his reunion with Moony.

          It so happened that one afternoon in late July, Remus found Sirius ensconced in his favorite chair in the living room, flipping through an old photo album. Remus peered over Sirius' shoulder to see what he was looking at; it was an old photograph of baby Harry crawling eagerly towards a happily smiling Lily. Remus fondly remembered that day and was startled out of his reverie by Sirius, who quietly said, "Harry turns eleven in a few days, doesn't he?"

          He looked up at Remus, who nodded and said, "Yes, he does. Albus and I were wondering when you'd remember. We would have told you in a day or so if you hadn't remembered."

          Sirius looked down a little and replied "Yes, well, I've had a lot on my mind lately…" he trailed off at the end. He then continued, saying, "So, is he still living with that sorry excuse of a muggle that is Lily's sister and her fat swine of a husband?"

          Remus chuckled slightly and said, "Yes, he's still there, and as a matter of fact Albus told me he's been having some trouble sending him his Hogwarts letter."

          Sirius smiled at that. "I can only imagine what the Dursleys' reaction to that was." His smile faded a little and he looked up. "I still wish I could have taken him. I remember Petunia well, and Harry can't have had a very pleasant childhood. But…" and here realization climbed like the rising sun over his face "I'm his godfather. I'm his legal guardian…" He grinned widely, happiness twinkling in his eyes. "How would you feel about having another housemate, Moony?"

          Remus returned the smile in full force and replied, "Nothing would please me more. Albus and I have been talking, and he says you're more than welcome to go collect Harry anytime you like. We can go call Albus now and sort out the details."

          And so, after Sirius and Remus had made up the third bedroom and arranged all the details of Harry's transition, Sirius Apparated out to a rundown hut perched on a rock out to sea, in the middle of a storm in the middle of the night.


	3. Ch 2: A Meeting, Shopping and a Birthday

Disclaimer: As someone once said, there's a reason it's not called authorfiction. Don't own anything except the plot, not making money off this, blah blah blah…. Ch. 2- A Meeting, Shopping, and A Birthday 

          Inside, the young boy named Harry Potter lay shivering on the floor, curled up under a ragged and thin blanket and glancing at the dial of his cousin's wristwatch. And just as the numbers flipped to 12.00 AM…

          THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. A pause, and then a rattle of the door latch, which was locked. The light clicked on the in the next room as his uncle burst in, carrying a rifle, while his cousin Dudley ran to cower behind his mother. A muttering could be dimly heard from outside, and suddenly the door latch glowed and creaked open- and the old rotting door fell straight in. Silhouetted in the doorway was a tall, imposing figure in a black cloak. He stepped inside, bent down and lifted the door back into the frame. He removed his cloak and draped it over his arm, revealing a rather gaunt man with black hair neatly tied into a ponytail, a rather sharp chin, and dressed simply in a green collared shirt and jeans.

          At this point, the Dursleys fled into the next room, slamming the door behind them, Vernon's rifle all but forgotten in the face of this wizard. The man glanced rather contemptuously in their direction, and then his gaze fell on Harry. He stared at Harry for a moment as Harry stared back. Then he spoke. "Harry? My god- you look just like James." he whispered. Then he smiled. "Except for the eyes; you have Lily's eyes." 

          Harry found his voice. "Excuse me sir, but who are you? How do you know my name?"

          Sirius sat on the elderly couch and motioned Harry to sit. He did so, cautiously, and Sirius continued. "I am Sirius Black. I'm also your godfather and legal guardian."

          Harry frowned and shook his head. "I-I don't have a godfather, and even if you are- and my legal guardian as well- then why haven't I been living with you?"

          Sirius sighed. "Yes you do have a godfather; me. And the reason you haven't been living with me is a very long story, which I will be telling you about later on. Rest assured, Lily and James never wanted you to be with the Dursleys. Had circumstances permitted, you would have been living with me." 

          An expression of hope entered Harry's face. "So does that mean I can live with you now? Instead of the Dursleys?" he asked, happiness and hope evident in his voice.

          Sirius smiled. "Of course you are; wouldn't have it any other way. Especially-" and here his face darkened "-since I was told your first letters were being sent with 'cupboard under the stairs' in the address." 

          Harry looked even more eager by now. "So do you know who's been sending me letters? Was it you? How-"

          Sirius cut him off, chuckling. "So much like James. No, I haven't been sending you letters; that question is easily answered by the letter itself. Which reminds me-" He pulled a letter from his pocket, addressed to "Mr. H. Potter, the Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, the Sea" and handed it to Harry. 

With shaking hands, he opened the envelope, pulled out a sheet of parchment and started to read. "Dear Mr. Potter: We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…" He trailed off, reading the rest silently. He looked up when he had finished, slightly puzzled. "Mr. Black, what does this mean? Wizardry…?" 

Sirius placed a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "First off, please just call me Sirius. And second, you, Harry, are a wizard. So am I, and so were your parents." 

Harry frowned at this and replied "Are-are you _sure_ I'm a wizard? I mean, I'm just…me…"

Sirius smiled and said "Harry, there is absolutely no doubt that you are a wizard. Your name's been down for Hogwarts ever since you were born. Think back; have you ever made anything odd happen when you were angry or scared, things you couldn't explain?" Harry clearly remembered several incidents such as Sirius had described. Sirius, seeing this, smiled even more and said, "Well, now that you've read your letter and understand at least some of the situation, we'd best be off home. I just have to work out how to get there…" He trailed off, looking thoughtful.

Harry piped up. "Er, Sirius? How did you get here, anyway?"

Sirius, still thinking, replied "Hm? Oh, I Apparated- that's magically transporting yourself from one place to another instantly. Unfortunately, you don't know how to Apparate and couldn't even if you did because you're underage, and I can't just Apparate you somewhere because that's not possible. At any rate, I certainly have no intentions of staying here tonight. Let's see now, we can't take the Floo Network, this hovel isn't hooked up to it…" 

He snapped his fingers. "I know! I can make a Portkey. I hate to subject you to magical travel this soon after you've just found out you're a wizard, but like I said, I don't want to sleep here tonight and I'm fairly certain you don't either." Seeing the blank look on his godson's face, Sirius explained. "A Portkey is an object that can be charmed to transport more than one person to another place. This'll take a few minutes, but first, since it's cold outside, you're going to need something warmer to wear…" Taking the blanket off the couch, he transfigured it into a light cloak. He handed it to Harry, who gratefully put it on. 

While he worked at turning an old can into a Portkey, Sirius continued. "I live in a little house in Wales with my friend Remus; we were both good friends of your parents. Technically, it's Remus' house; he inherited it from his parents, but he lets me live with him since we're really all we have left…" 

He trailed off again here, looking slightly uncomfortable, and Harry plucked up the nerve to ask, "So, um, are you and Remus, er, 'together'? I don't have a problem with that or anything, I was just wondering…" 

Sirius looked up, bemused. "No! No, we don't swing that way; we're just very good friends. It's nice to know you wouldn't have a problem with that, though." He straightened up. "There! All done. Now, all you have to do is touch the Portkey, and I'll activate it. It will feel kind of like being pulled backwards from your navel, but it's almost instantaneous." Somewhat hesitantly, Harry touched the Portkey, Sirius tapped it with his wand, and in a flash they were gone.

Harry felt himself being pulled backwards and then landed with a thump outside a well-kept little cottage with a light on in a ground-floor window. He fell on his bottom, and Sirius gave him a hand up. "Come on, it's late and I'm sure we're both tired." he said as they walked up the garden path to the front door. He performed a series of unlocking charms, and they walked through the door into the cozy little house. 

Remus, clad in an elderly pair of pajamas and an equally worn red dressing gown, was sitting on the couch awaiting their arrival and now rose to greet them. Smiling brightly, he shook Harry's hand, saying "Hello Harry, it's a pleasure to meet you again. I'm Remus Lupin; I share this house with Sirius." 

Harry politely responded with "Pleased to meet you-" and then yawned widely. 

Remus chuckled slightly as Sirius said, "It is getting rather late; why don't we show you your room? You'll get the grand tour tomorrow, when we're all a little more awake." With that, the two wizards escorted Harry up the stairs. They walked down the small hallway and Sirius opened the door to the last room on the left, saying, "Here we are. It's kind of small and we weren't sure how you'd want to decorate it; you're more than welcome to fix it up any way you'd like. What do you think?"

Harry was floored that anyone could be so kind to him; the room was more than he'd ever expected. It was a little smaller than Dudley's second room, but considering that it didn't have a mountain of broken toys occupying it, it actually had more space. The walls were decorated in a pale yellow, with several Quidditch posters hung on the walls. A blue rug adorned the wood floor, a mahogany bed with a green bedspread occupied the room along with a matching nightstand, and a chest of drawers and a desk were against the walls. In short, it was a lovely and well-appointed room, and Harry said as much.

Both men smiled warmly at him, Sirius replying "I'm glad you like it. At any rate, I'm sure we'd all like some sleep, so if you'll hand me that cloak I transfigured, I'll make it into something you can sleep in."

Harry quickly unfastened the cloak and handed to him. Remus excused himself, saying, "I'm glad you're with us Harry, but I need my sleep, so good night to the both of you."

Sirius replied "Goodnight, Moony" as he transfigured the cloak into a gray nightshirt. He handed it to Harry and followed Remus out, pausing to bid Harry goodnight. Harry changed into the nightshirt, removed his glasses and set them on the nightstand, and got into bed. Smiling happily, he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Harry awoke to bright sunlight streaming through his window and birds chirping. He rolled over and retrieved his glasses, noticing as he did so that they had been cleaned and repaired. Putting them on, he also noticed that the clothes he'd been wearing the night before had been removed from the room and lying neatly folded on a chair were a light blue shirt, a pair of khaki trousers, a pair of underwear and some socks. Dressing quickly, he set aside the blanket which the nightshirt had reverted to at some point during the night, and went downstairs where the sounds and smells of breakfast cooking were mingling with Remus humming along to whatever was playing on the old radio perched near the spice cabinet. 

Remus turned around from the sausages cooking on the stove to see Harry still blinking somewhat sleepily in the doorway, dressed, but with possibly the worst case of bed hair in the history of mankind. Remus started chuckling and said, in between chuckles, "Good morning Harry; you'll have to excuse me, but you look even more like James like that. He always woke up in the morning with his hair even messier than usual, as well." Still giggling a little, he conjured a comb and handed it to Harry. "Here, see if you can't untangle your hair a little. Not that it'll help much, but at least it won't look quite so bad."

Harry took the comb and started attempting to tame his hair. He asked Remus, who had turned back to the stove to flip the sausages and several eggs, "Thanks. So, where is Sirius?"

Remus looked up and replied "Still asleep. You're an early riser you know; it's only 7.30."

Harry sat down at the kitchen table and said "I usually have to get up this early to cook breakfast for the Dursleys."

Remus frowned a little at that and said "Hmph. Well, you won't have to help cook here- that is, unless you want to. Sirius hasn't had too much trouble fending for himself when I'm indisposed, but if he has to cook for someone else…well, let's just say his cooking skills leave much to be desired." Remus now tipped the sausages onto three plates, followed by the eggs and slices of toast. Setting the plates on the table, Remus cast a charm to keep the food warm, and then said "I'll wake Sirius up in about fifteen minutes or so. In the meantime, I don't know when the last time you had a bath was, but if the state of your clothing was any indication, it's been awhile. I suggest you take advantage of the shower upstairs before Sirius gets up. There are extra towels in the linen cupboard next to your bedroom and soap and shampoo in the cabinet under the sink."

Harry indeed hadn't had a bath in quite awhile, so he decided to take Remus up on his suggestion. Twenty minutes later, he came back into the kitchen, now completely clean as well as neatly dressed. Sirius had dragged himself out of bed and stumbled downstairs in the meantime and smiled at Harry as he came into the kitchen, hair still damp. "Morning, Harry!" he said with a huge grin. "Eat up, we have a big day ahead of us. We have to get your school supplies today."

After everyone had eaten, and Sirius had gone upstairs to his room to get dressed, Harry decided to voice a question that had been on his mind all morning. "Remus? Um, where exactly did these clothes come from? I woke up this morning and the clothes I was wearing last night were gone, and these were on the chair by my bed."

Remus replied, "Those are actually some of my old clothes from when I was your age. Your clothes were not only absolutely filthy, but around eight sizes too large for you. You'll be getting some new clothes of your own later today, I'd wager. So, for today, you're borrowing those. Which reminds me…" Remus went upstairs and faint rummaging sounds could be hard emanating from what was presumably his bedroom. He came back down a minute later, carrying a neatly folded sweater. He handed it to Harry, saying "Here, you'll probably be wanting this; it's going to be rather chilly today. This was also mine, my Nan knitted us all sweaters on our birthdays." 

Sirius came downstairs, neatly dressed, and grinned when he caught sight of Harry. "Very sharp, Harry; you look a lot better when you aren't wearing clothes that are ten sizes too big for you. Remus, isn't that one of the sweaters your Nan made for you?"

"Yes it is, Sirius. I'm amazed you remember." Remus replied.

"Well it is a nice sweater. Plus, you got that at the birthday party where James and I decided we'd try and-"

"Never mind about that, Sirius." Remus said hastily, cutting him off.

"Remus, the thought occurs to me that we haven't shown Harry the rest of the house. How about it Harry, want a tour?"

Harry, who was eager to see what the rest of the house looked like, said "Yes, please."

Sirius cheerfully led Harry to the spacious living room and from there throughout the rest of the house, describing it as he went, while Remus good-naturedly followed. The small group ended up back in the living room, where Sirius said "Well! That's the house, and now we should probably think about getting to Diagon Alley to do some shopping." 

Remus spoke up. "And how are you planning on getting there Padfoot? I sincerely hope you're not planning on taking the bike; that thing's a deathtrap."

Sirius waved this aside. "Of course I'm not taking the bike; it needs a lot more work before it can be ridden again. I was rather hoping I could borrow your car to drive to the train station."

Remus sighed and said, "Well at least you're not taking the bike. I'll drive you two to the train station; I shudder to think what you'd do to my car if I let you drive it."

So it was that ten minutes later the three of them were driving down the main road of the village in Remus' elderly car to the small train station. Sirius and Harry settled into a compartment by themselves, and Harry asked "Sirius, what's Diagon Alley? And why are we taking the train to London instead of that thing you used to get me…a portkey?"

Sirius replied, "Diagon Alley is the largest wizarding shopping area in Britain. It's hidden from non-magical people (Muggles) behind an old pub in London. And the reason we're taking the train instead of a faster mode of travel is because I wanted us to have time to talk before we got to Diagon Alley. You see, you're probably going to have a whole lot of people recognize you. I wanted to have time to explain to you why you're famous. And…" here he hesitated. "…why I'm famous. Or perhaps I should say, infamous." 

Harry was stunned. "Famous? Me? How can I possibly be famous?"

Sirius sighed and said "Harry, it's a very long story. I suppose I should start by telling you where I was for the last ten years. I was in Azkaban, which is the wizard's prison. I was sentenced to life there, but I was acquitted when the person who had actually committed the crimes I was imprisoned for was caught."

Harry was dumbfounded. His godfather didn't seem to him to be a criminal; he was very nice. "What crimes were-" he started.

Sirius held up his hand for silence. "Please, let me finish; I'll get to that later. I believe I already told you that both Remus and I were good friends of your parents. We were best friends, we were- James, Remus, me, and…and Peter. Peter was something of a tagalong at first, never was as smart or talented as the rest of us. But we were friends all the same. Now, when we were young, younger than you are now, a Dark wizard by the name of Voldemort began a rise to power and a reign of terror that lasted for eleven years. Not all wizards are good Harry; it's very important that you remember that. Voldemort was evil, the worst Dark wizard in centuries. 

"We, that is your parents, Remus, myself, and Peter, were all in the same year together at Hogwarts, and we all graduated under the shadow of Voldemort. Now, your parents were as talented a witch and wizard as I've ever seen, and they were on the top of Voldemort's list of people to kill. I'm not sure exactly why, but they were. After Lily had you, they decided that drastic measures were necessary to hide from Voldemort, so they used the Fidelius Charm. This is an old and complex spell that places a piece of information, in this case your parents' location, inside a single, living soul. This person is known as the Secret-Keeper, and the secret cannot be found out unless the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. 

"I was James' best friend, the best man at his wedding, your godfather, so, naturally, James and Lily chose me as their Secret-Keeper. However, I knew I was a very obvious choice, so at the last minute I persuaded them to change to Peter instead of me, and we didn't tell anyone. I thought it was a perfect bluff; Voldemort would naturally assume I was the Secret-Keeper, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless person like Peter. Well, I was wrong, a mistake that haunts me to this day. 

"You see, we knew that someone on our side, in our circle, was passing information to Voldemort. I'm sorry to say that both Remus and I thought the other to be the spy, and we were both wrong. Peter had been spying for Voldemort for over a year when your parents died. He betrayed them to Voldemort, and on Halloween night 1981, Voldemort came to your house and killed both your parents. Now here's the tricky part- he tried to kill you as well, but he couldn't and we're not sure why. All we know is that when he tried to kill you with an evil, deadly curse, it bounced off and hit him, and it destroyed him. That's where you got that scar on your forehead; that's a curse scar. And that's why you're famous; you defeated Voldemort at the age of one. You're the boy who lived, Harry." 

Harry didn't know what to make of this and sat quietly for a few minutes, absorbing this new information. Finally, he spoke, half to himself." The Dursleys always told me my parents died in a car crash and that's where I got that scar." He looked up at Sirius. "But then, why were you in Azkaban? Did everyone think you were the Secret-Keeper?"  
          Sirius acknowledged this with a nod. "Partly, yes. The main reason why I was sent to Azkaban happened the day after. I was the only one who knew that Peter had betrayed us, and I went off in search of him, to make him pay for what he'd done. I found him in a suburb of London, and I confronted him there. But before I could do anything, he shouted for the whole street to hear that I had betrayed James and Lily, blew up the street with the wand behind his back, cut off his finger to fake his own death, transformed into a rat and scurried away. I was arrested at the scene and spent the next ten years in Azkaban for a crime I hadn't committed. Peter spent the next ten years as a pet of a wizarding family. He was found about three months ago, by Remus incidentally, and was given a trial and sent to Azkaban for life, where he's placed under spells so that he can't transform and escape. I was finally free, and came to live with Remus. And that, my boy, is both your and my stories in a nutshell."

Harry thought about all of this and all too soon the train pulled into London, where he and Sirius disembarked. They took the Underground to a busy street lined with shops, and stopped in front of an old pub bearing the sign "The Leaky Cauldron."  They hurried through to the old courtyard, attracting no small amount of attention as they went, and Sirius opened the entrance to Diagon Alley. Harry was amazed; he'd never seen anything like this before, and he looked like he was trying to see everything at once. 

As they walked, Harry asked, "Sirius, how am I to pay for my supplies and everything? I don't have any money." 

Sirius replied "Don't worry about it; I'm paying for everything. I was fairly well off before I was sent to Azkaban, and the Ministry of Magic gave me a very generous amount of money as compensation for wrongful imprisonment. And even if I weren't paying for everything, you'd still be able to afford it on your own. Your parents left you all the money they had."  
          Harry frowned. "But if their house was destroyed-"

Sirius waved a hand impatiently. "They didn't keep their money in the house; that's what Gringotts is for." He pointed to it. "That's the wizarding bank, over there. Now, I've already withdrawn some money, so the first place we're stopping is here." With that, they drew to a halt in front of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "This shop carries Muggle clothing as well as robes." After picking out a new wardrobe for Harry as well as his Hogwarts uniform, they purchased some new robes for Remus. After they left Madam Malkin's, they visited Flourish and Blott's and a host of other shops, getting all the things Harry would need for school. At last, they stopped in front of Ollivander's Wands. As they opened the door a bell jingled, and they were both quiet as they entered the shop.

Mr. Ollivander came out from the back and gazed at Harry for a moment before smiling slightly. "I wondered when I'd be seeing you here, Mr. Potter." His gaze fell on Sirius, who shifted uncomfortably, and he nodded and said "Mr. Black. Twelve and a quarter inches, oak. Rather inflexible and good for transfiguration and charms, as I recall. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you were shipped off to Azkaban?"

Sirius smiled and pulled out his wand. "Actually, it wasn't. The Ministry kept it as evidence and it was returned to me when I was acquitted."

Mr. Ollivander nodded. "Glad to hear it; a good wand that one is. Well now Mr. Potter, let's see about getting you a wand. Which is your wand arm?"

Harry replied, "Um, well I'm right-handed…"

"Stick out your right hand, then." Mr. Ollivander said tersely. As his measuring tape took Harry's measurements (by itself), Mr. Ollivander explained the different kinds of wands to Harry. At long last he clapped his hands and the measuring tape flew back to him. He scurried into the back of the shop, returning with a wand in a box. He handed the wand to Harry, saying as he did so "Birch and dragon heartstring, eight inches. Rather springy." 

Harry, unsure of what to do with it, looked at Sirius who made a small flicking motion with his wrist. Harry dutifully flicked the wand- and nothing happened. This process was repeated with a large number of different wands until Mr. Ollivander came back with a dusty box, out of which he produced yet another wand which he handed to Harry. "Somewhat unusual combination; holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches." Harry flicked the wand, and a stream of red and gold sparks shot out of the end. Sirius cheered and clapped, and Mr. Ollivander placed the wand back in its box, muttering as he did so. "How very odd…odd indeed…"

Harry nervously piped up. "Sorry, but- what's odd?"

Ollivander fixed Harry with his eerie gaze and said, "I remember every single wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter, every single one. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather resides in your wand gave just one other feather. And that feather happens to be the core of the wand belonging to the person who gave you that scar."

Sirius hastily paid seven Galleons for Harry's wand, and the two of them exited the shop and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron. Sirius glanced at his watch and back at Harry. He then spotted someone in the corner- a very large someone. He steered Harry over and introduced him, saying "Hagrid! It's good to see you." Hagrid beamed, and Sirius continued. "Harry, this is Hagrid; he's the gamekeeper at Hogwarts and an old friend. Hagrid, you remember Harry."

Hagrid beamed even more and said "O' course I do! Blimey, 'ow could I forget Harry?"

Sirius turned to Harry and said "Harry, I've got one more quick errand to run. I'll be right back; you stay here with Hagrid, ok? Hagrid, you'll look after him for a few minutes, won't you?" He replied that of course he would, and he and Harry chatted for about fifteen minutes or so until Sirius came back from his mysterious errand. "Right then, thanks for keeping an eye on him for me. It was a pleasure seeing you again, but we really have to be getting home."

Hagrid bade them goodbye, and Sirius led Harry over to the fireplace. "Okay Harry, we're going to be taking the Floo network home. It's a way to travel through fireplaces. What you do is take a pinch of this powder-" producing a small bag filled with sparkly green Floo powder "-and toss it in the fire. When the fire turns green, you say where you're going, in this case 'Lupin Lodge,' and step into the fireplace. Make sure to keep your eyes closed and your elbows tucked in, and when you feel yourself slow down, step out. Got all that?"

Harry nodded, slightly nervous, and did as Sirius instructed. He stepped into the fire and a short while later fell out of the hearth in the living room of Lupin Lodge. Remus, who had been reading the _Daily Prophet_ on the sofa, rose and helped Harry up. Unfortunately, not only had Harry's glasses fallen off and snapped at the bridge, he had also managed to accumulate what appeared to be half the chimney soot in Britain on his person. Remus brushed the soot off of him and took his glasses. Performing another repairing charm on them, he handed them back to Harry just as Sirius stepped out of the fireplace with all of their packages. 

He chuckled as he caught sight of Harry, who was still rather sooty. "Tell you what Harry, why don't you go upstairs, change your clothes, and put your things away? We'll have dinner in a little bit." When Harry had gone upstairs, Sirius turned to Remus and said, "You're not going to believe this, Moony. We went shopping and got Harry his wand. We went to Ollivander's, of course, and the wand that suited Harry was holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "There's nothing too odd about that, Padfoot."

"Yes, well, here's the tricky part. Harry's wand core came from the phoenix that also happened to supply the core for Voldemort's wand."

Remus' jaw dropped. "Oh my goodness. Well, that is a surprise, to say the least." He gathered himself together a little more and asked, "So how did shopping go, other than that?"

"It went just fine, as a matter of fact." Sirius looked at his watch. "Hm; almost dinnertime. By the way, has Harry's present arrived yet?" 

Remus nodded. "It did. It's very lovely, too."

Sirius smiled. "Yes it is, isn't it? You know, I'm not even sure Harry even remembers that it's his birthday today." His smile faded. "I can guess why, too; I doubt those _Dursleys_" spitting out the word as though it were a swearword "ever gave him much of a reason to look forward to his birthdays." 

Remus smiled and said "Well, we'll just have to make his first birthday with us memorable. I made a nice chocolate cake, and I just have to go take the rolls out of the oven. Dinner will be ready in a minute. Why don't you go and fetch Harry and we can give him his present?"

Sirius went up to Harry's room and knocked on the door. Not receiving an answer, he opened the door to find Harry sprawled on his bed, engrossed in his new copy of _Magical Theory._ Sirius rapped on the now open door to attract Harry's attention and said "Harry? Dinner's almost ready you know."

Harry looked up, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry! I changed and put my stuff away, and I decided I'd start reading this." 

Sirius waved a hand and said "Don't worry about it; are you ready to come downstairs and have some dinner?"

Harry marked his place with the receipt from Flourish and Blott's, and scrambled off the bed to follow Sirius downstairs. As he made towards the kitchen, Sirius stopped him. "Hold on there, Harry. Remus and I have something we want to show you in the living room."

Curious, Harry followed Sirius into the living room where Remus was waiting. Sirius went to stand beside Remus and said, "While we were out today and you were in the Leaky Cauldron with Hagrid I had to do some last-minute shopping. So, without further ado…" He stepped into the kitchen and came back with a beautiful snowy owl perched on his arm "…Happy birthday, Harry." 

Harry was stunned. "Wow…this is for me?"

Remus smiled and said "Of course it is; it _is_ your birthday today, unless I'm very much mistaken. We haven't forgotten, even if you did. She doesn't have a name yet, so you can name her whatever you like. She has a traveling cage, and we have some Owl Treats, but she'll mostly just perch in your room and go hunting on her own. Owls are the main form of communication for wizards; we use them as messengers to send letters."

Sirius extended his arm, and the owl hopped onto Harry's shoulder and hooted softly. Harry stroked her gently and she flew off into the kitchen, followed by Sirius, Remus, and Harry. Harry noticed her sharing a large perch next to the back door with a medium-sized tawny owl. Sirius saw where Harry was looking and explained, "That's Alberta; she's the owl Remus and I use.

They sat down to the delicious dinner Remus had made, and afterwards Remus brought out the cake with eleven candles on it as he and Sirius sang "Happy Birthday." The three of them stayed up, Remus and Sirius regaling Harry with stories of their own school days, until 12.30am when Remus glanced at the clock and declared that he was going to bed. Sirius and Harry stayed up a little while longer, Sirius managing to make them both a cup of hot cocoa without blowing anything in the kitchen up. As they sipped their hot cocoa in comfortable silence, Harry spoke up. "Sirius?"

"Yeah, Harry?" he replied, setting down his mug.

"I just wanted to say thanks- for everything. Thank you so much. This has been the best birthday of my life." Harry put down his cup and, on an impulse, hugged Sirius. Pleasantly surprised, Sirius hugged him back.

"You're more than welcome, Harry." He said. "Now, it's getting rather late, so I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sirius." Harry replied as he followed Sirius up the stairs.


	4. Ch 3: Visits and the End of the Summer

Disclaimer: You all should know by now that I don't own them.

Ch.3- Visits and the End of the Summer 

          The next morning Harry woke up rather late to find Sirius already up and reading the _Daily Prophet_ as he munched on a bowl of cornflakes at the kitchen table. Harry got himself a bowl of cereal as well and slid into one of the chairs. "Morning, Sirius. Where's Remus?" he asked.

          "Good morning." Sirius replied as he looked up from his paper. "Remus is upstairs doing something; I think he has plans for the day. He should be down in a minute."

          As if on cue, Remus came downstairs pulling his new pair of brown work robes on over his otherwise conventional ensemble of a white button-down shirt, gray trousers and a blue sweater. "Good morning Sirius, Harry." he said as he fastened the clasps on his robes. "You know, you really didn't have to get me these Sirius, I have plenty of clothes." 

          Sirius waved a hand impatiently and said, "Remus, you've had most of your clothes since before I was in Azkaban; it's the least I could do. Besides, I've already missed your birthdays and Christmases over the last ten years. Got to start making it up somewhere. At any rate, what are your plans for today?"

          "Well, since Harry has been living with the Dursleys, they have all of his medical records, school transcripts, and the like, and now that he's living with us we need those documents. Or perhaps I should say _you_ need those documents, since you are Harry's legal guardian. So today I'm going over to the Dursleys' house to retrieve those papers. While I'm there, is there anything of yours that you'd like me to bring back?" he asked Harry.

          Harry frowned and said "Well, there's almost nothing there that was actually mine; all of my clothes were Dudley's hand-me-downs, and I really didn't have much else. There is one thing: under my bed in the upstairs bedroom there is a shoebox with a blanket and a small teddy bear in it. I'd rather like to have those back. The blanket is tan with blue stripes on it and the teddy is sort of squashed and brown."

          Remus nodded and said, "I'll be sure to get those. I should be back in a couple of hours, Sirius." And with that, he Disapparated.

          Sirius chuckled and said "I almost wish I was going with him, just to see the looks on their faces."

          "What do you mean?" asked Harry, intrigued.

          "Well, I've known Remus for a number of years now, and one thing I know about him is that he has as much of a sense of humor as I do. If I know him- and I do- he's just Apparated into the Dursleys' living room unannounced."

          Harry started laughing at this and asked, "So what are you planning to do today?"

          Sirius replied "Well, unless you had any ideas, I was just going to work on my bike some more."

          "Can I see it?" asked Harry.

          Sirius was a tad surprised, but said "Sure you can." and lead them outside. The midmorning sun shone brightly on the lush garden, and Sirius led him on the garden path to an old outbuilding, which he unlocked. He flipped on a light switch, whipped the dustcover off of the vintage motorbike in the shed and wheeled it outside.

          "Here it is." Sirius said proudly, gesturing towards it. 

          "It's…erm…" Harry said awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. Privately he thought that it looked like an old pile of junk, but didn't want to say it to Sirius' face. 

          Sirius smiled and said ruefully "Yeah, I know; it's a big pile of rust. I'm going to basically have to strip the whole bike down and restore her."

          "You're going to do all that today?" asked Harry.

          "No, no, all I'm doing today is just cleaning and/or replacing part of the engine. I don't really need any help or anything, so feel free to do whatever you like."

          Harry nodded, still getting used to this new freedom, and said, "Okay, I'll probably just read some more in my textbooks."

          Sirius said "Yeah, that's probably a good idea; the professors prefer it if you've at least skimmed through the books before you get there."

          So for the next several hours Sirius tinkered with his bike, and Harry read some more of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ on the sofa in the living room. Which is where he was when he heard a muffled _pop_ and the front door opened. He looked up to see Remus carrying a medium-sized cardboard file box with a smaller shoebox perched on top of it. He set both boxes down with a _thump_ on the coffee table and sat down heavily in the armchair. 

Harry set his book aside, looking slightly concerned, and said, "Are you okay? Would you like a cup of tea?" 

Remus was resting his forehead on his hand and looked up at these words. "I'm fine, just a little tired. And a cup of tea would be wonderful, thank you." Harry went into the kitchen and quickly fetched a cup of tea for Remus. As he handed it to him, Remus smiled gratefully and said "Thank you. I don't suppose you could go fetch Sirius for me? I'm sure he'll want to hear all about what happened."

Harry replied in the affirmative and dashed off to go find Sirius, who was still puttering around in the backyard. "Sirius, Remus is back." he said as he bemusedly watched a very dirty Sirius doing something with his wand to a part of the bike's engine. He quickly finished, wheeled the bike back into the shed, and followed Harry back into the house. 

"Hey Remus; how'd it go?" Sirius asked as he and Harry returned to the living room. 

Remus sighed and said "Well, at the very least I've got all of Harry's records and things. Unfortunately, what with one thing and another, I'm afraid I may have…lost my temper a bit and done something rather rash."

Sirius started snickering and asked, "What'd you do?"

Remus sighed again and replied "Something that will take the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad quite awhile to correct. You see, the Dursleys weren't too pleased when I Apparated into their living room. They all started screaming and I tried to explain what I was there for. Vernon started in on a slew of nasty comments about me, Harry, you, Lily, James, and wizards in general, so I thought it would be best if I just placed him in a Body Bind while I got Harry's files. Petunia had gone into the kitchen earlier (I don't know what happened to your cousin, Harry) and now came back out brandishing an iron frying pan. I Stunned her and went to go find your files and belongings, Harry, and after I'd done so decided that your uncle's bellowing was getting on my nerves so I cast a Silencing charm on him and, just for good measure and since I'd never liked her anyway, transfigured Petunia into a horse before I left."

Sirius was now laughing so hard he was crying, and Harry was laughing as well. Sirius managed to choke out between hysterical laughter "I can't believe you did that Moony! No, wait, never mind; I can believe you did that!"  

Harry was slightly confused, and asked, "Why do you call each other Moony and Padfoot?" 

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance, and Sirius said "That's a story for a later time; right now, let's look through these." indicating the files. "What's in here though?" he wondered aloud as he removed the lid of the shoebox. He smiled and passed the box containing an old blanket and a battered teddy bear to Harry. "I believe these are yours." 

Harry eagerly took his teddy out of the box and hugged it, saying "Mr. Snuffles is probably the only thing from the Dursleys that's really mine. A neighbor from down the street gave him to me for my sixth birthday." Harry blushed slightly as he realized he was still hugging his bear in front of Sirius and Remus, and that he had said what the bear's name was. "I mean," he continued, "I named him Mr. Snuffles because I was six and I always thought he had a rather large nose for a bear…" He trailed off, now looking highly embarrassed. 

Both of the older men sensed his embarrassment, and Sirius smiled reassuringly, saying "It's okay, Harry; everyone gives odd names to their stuffed animals. When I was five I had a plush monkey named Bertina. I was going to name it Bertram at first, but one of my younger cousins got ahold of it, tied a big blue bow around its neck, and somehow charmed it in place so that you couldn't take the bow off. It was Bertina from then on."

Remus nodded and said, "Yes, I had a bear named Romulus. I loved him, carried him with me wherever I went. Never saw one without the other. My mother, being who she was, called it Romulus and the name just stuck." Having said this, Remus turned to the sheaf of papers in the box marked 'Harry', muttering to himself as he read through them, and passing them to Sirius as he finished each one. "Not organized at all…standard forms for immunizations….school physical…dental records…nasty letter saying that you turned your teacher's wig blue- didn't expect to see that in here- hospital forms: broken ankle, sprained wrist, broken nose…" He paused as he flipped this last form over. "Hm- this one's dated August, 1986. How on earth do you manage to break your nose when you're six?"

Harry snorted at that and supplied "That one wasn't my fault; Dudley broke it for me." Remus looked aghast and Sirius looked murderous as Harry continued, "The rest were my fault, more or less. The broken ankle was from when I fell off of the roof of the school kitchens that one time, and the sprained wrist was from a rugby game." Remus and Sirius still frowned a little at this, and Remus continued reading through the files, finally stacking them in a neat pile in the file box when he was finished and Banishing the box to his study.

Having done this, Remus stood up and stretched, then yawned. Sirius looked rather concerned and said, "Still tired, Moony?"

Remus nodded and replied "Yes, I'll probably take a nap after lunch." He then sat back down in his chair. 

Harry had watched this exchange with a great deal of interest and piped up from his chair "It's later now; will you tell me why you call each other Moony and Padfoot now?"

Remus and Sirius looked at each other, and Sirius quietly said to Remus "We probably should tell him now; it is in five days, after all." Remus nodded and both men turned to Harry. Sirius started "I would have told you about all of this sooner, but I didn't for several reasons. It's really Remus' story to tell, not mine, and I wanted to wait until you were a bit more accustomed to the magical world to tell you; I didn't want to startle you right off the bat." Sirius frowned slightly, thought for a minute, then said "I suppose the best place to start would be to tell you about my nickname first. You see, your father, Peter, and I all became what are known as Animagi in our fifth year of school. You remember I told you that Peter could turn into a rat?" 

Harry nodded and Sirius continued "Well, that's what an Animagus is: a witch or wizard who can turn into an animal at will. Becoming an Animagus is a highly dangerous and difficult thing to do and I'll let Remus explain exactly why we did in a minute. We all gave ourselves nicknames according to our forms. Since Peter could become a rat- how fitting- his nickname was Wormtail. Your father transformed into a stag, and so his name was Prongs. I can turn into a large dog-" here he stood up, changed into his alternate form and back, and sat down again "-and my nickname is Padfoot."

Remus now picked up the story. "They had their reasons for becoming Animagi; they did it for my sake. You see, I suffer from a condition known in medical terms as lycanthropy. In layman's terms, it means that I am a werewolf. I'm perfectly safe right now; I'm human all but one day out of the month. It's only during the full moons that I transform into the werewolf. During my transformations I lock myself in a secure chamber in the cellar that I can't get out of in wolf form."

"Sirius stays with me as Padfoot during the full moons; a werewolf is only a danger to humans, you see. In addition, a recent development in medicinal potions allows me to keep my mind when I transform, as well. A werewolf, when transformed, normally has no human conscience or scruples and is a bloodthirsty, raving monster. However, if I take the Wolfsbane Potion the week preceding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform. It also helps lessen some of the pain, although not all of it; turning into a werewolf is…very painful, which is why there are also Silencing Charms on the cellar." 

Harry pondered this while they waited anxiously for his reaction. Finally, he spoke. "So- it's a disease then, like cancer, or AIDS? It's not like you asked to be bitten, was it? How did you go to Hogwarts, if you're a werewolf? Were you bitten at Hogwarts?"

Remus was highly relieved that Harry was not scared of him, and replied, "I'm very glad that you see things that way, Harry. Most people aren't very tolerant where werewolves are concerned. We are mistrusted and feared by many in the magical community; consequently I've had trouble finding and keeping a job. To answer your questions: I was bitten as a young child. It was thought that I wouldn't be able to attend Hogwarts, but Albus Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he told my parents that as long as precautions were followed, there shouldn't be any reason why I couldn't attend school. I was smuggled out of the school to a safe place to transform every month, and no one except for the Headmaster, the nurse, and my Head of House knew about it. That is, until Sirius and James worked out why I went missing every month."

"Who was your Head of House?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall was, and still is, the Head of Gryffindor House. There are four Houses at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Both your parents, as well as Sirius and myself, were in Gryffindor House." 

"And what House was…was Peter in?" Harry tentatively asked.

Sirius scowled and replied "Peter was in Gryffindor with the rest of us, surprisingly enough; would've figured the little slimy traitor for a Slytherin…" Seeing Harry's perplexed look, he elaborated. "There's not a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. Well, except for Peter."

It was getting on towards afternoon at this point, and all three were hungry, so Remus made them all lunch. He took the time after lunch to call the optometrist and the dentist to make appointments for Harry for the following day, and the day after. He then took a nap, while Sirius and Harry both read; Harry with some more of his textbooks, and Sirius perusing the latest edition of _Transfiguration Today._

The next day, Remus informed Harry at breakfast that he had an appointment with the dentist that day, and that both Sirius and he would be taking him there at 4.30 in the afternoon. Sirius looked affronted, and indignantly said "Hey! Why do I have to go?"

Remus coolly replied "Moral support. I have shopping to do in town today, but I will be back in time to pick up you and Harry." 

While Remus ran his errands, Sirius and Harry spent the morning chatting, reading, and watching television. Remus returned at around one to make lunch, and then spent some time working in the garden. 

Four-thirty found the three walking into Granger and Granger Dental Associates. The waiting room was empty except for a girl reading a very large book and the receptionist. While Remus went over to announce their arrival, Sirius and Harry sat down. Remus finished his business with the receptionist, who informed him that the doctor would see them momentarily, and then went into the back. She came out a minute later carrying her purse and coat and left.

Moments later a slim brown-haired woman came out carrying a clipboard. "Only two more patients today, I see. Mr. Black, why don't we start with you?"

Sirius started, and said, "Wait a minute, you said I was here for moral support, Remus! You never said a thing about making an appointment for me."

Remus sighed and said, "Yes, well, would you have agreed to go if I'd told you? Dental care is not exactly prevalent in Azkaban, Sirius. Now, I suggest you follow the nice dentist back there before I put you in a full Body-Bind curse and levitate you myself!"

Harry, meanwhile, had gotten a look at the title of the book the girl was reading (_A History of Magic_) and had struck up a conversation. He hadn't been paying too much attention to Sirius and Remus' argument, but looked up when Dr. Granger said "The other Dr. Granger will be out shortly to see Mr. Potter. I hope you don't mind the receptionist leaving, but as you're the last two patients of the day, she asked if she could pop off early." With that, she led a very irritated and grumbling Sirius back. 

Hermione Granger (for that was her name) noticed Remus in one of the waiting room chairs, and brightly said "Mr. Lupin! It's nice to see you again." 

They exchanged pleasantries and Harry, who had been wondering about Remus talking about magic in front of the Muggle dentist, curiously asked, "How do you two know each other?" 

Remus replied "When completely Muggleborn students with no knowledge of the magical world are invited to attend Hogwarts, a Liaison Officer is appointed them to answer any questions they may have, help them obtain supplies, and so on. I'm Miss Granger's liaison."

He was interrupted by the male Dr. Granger calling Harry back. The rest of the visit was relatively uneventful, although Sirius needed several cavities filled and Remus had to be called back to perform a Numbing charm on Sirius' mouth, as he refused point-blank to allow the dentist anywhere near him with the Novocaine. 

On the way home, Harry voiced his initial impression of Hermione as a bossy know-it-all. Remus merely smiled and said that sometimes you have to get to know someone before realize what they're like and you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Sirius was unable to add any words of wisdom to this, as his jaw muscles were still numb. 

The following day Harry had an appointment with the optometrist, and it turned out that his old glasses prescription was still fine. Sirius insisted on getting him another pair, however, because his old glasses were very scratched and worn, and no longer quite fit his face. 

The night of the full moon, Harry was locked in his room (just in case) and Sirius stayed with Remus down in the cellar. He carried Remus upstairs in the morning, while Harry was still asleep. Harry did wake up early enough to make Remus breakfast, however. Remus half-heartedly protested that it really wasn't necessary for Harry to have gone to all the trouble of cooking for him, although he was very grateful that he had. Harry responded that he didn't mind at all; he rather liked cooking now that no one was actually forcing him to do so. 

The last few weeks in August were filled with fun, stories, and laughter. It was, without a doubt, one of the happiest times of Harry's life. It was certainly the happiest month in recent memory for Sirius and Remus; all three had been alone and were now knit together in a solid familial bond. 

All too soon, September first arrived, and everyone was rushing around getting ready. Well, to be more specific, Sirius was rushing around so much it felt like three people, so excited was he. Harry was also extremely animated, and while Remus was just as excited as either of the two, he calmly made sure that everything was packed and everyone had eaten.

Sirius borrowed Remus' car and drove Harry to King's Cross station. They arrived between platforms 9 and 10 with ten minutes to spare, just as a large red-haired family disappeared through the barrier. Harry just noticed the mother going through and turned to Sirius with a hint of trepidation. 

"Are you sure I just walk through the barrier? It looks awfully solid to me."

Sirius just smiled and said, "Yes, that's what you do. You might want to try it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, then." Gulping nervously, Harry ran straight at the barrier- and right through it. Sirius followed him through a second later, saying "See? What'd I tell you?" He helped Harry get his trunk and Hedwig on the train, and then came the moment that both had been dreading. 

Sirius knelt down to look Harry in the eye and put a hand on his shoulder. "Harry, it's been one of the best times of my life, this past month. It's unfair that I'm just getting to know you and you're going off to Hogwarts already. I almost wish you didn't have to go, but…" He broke off here, looking distinctly teary-eyed, and continued. "I'm really going to miss you Harry. Who's going to help me tease Moony, now?" He cracked a watery grin. "Really, though, owl us and let us know if you need anything, how you're doing, how school is going, everything. You know you can always talk to Remus or me about anything. If you need anything at all, just owl us and we'll be there for you."

The warning whistle for the train's departure in a minute sounded, and Sirius said, "I suppose you'd better get on the train then. You have money for the food trolley, and your luggage and everything, so…" He enveloped Harry in a tight hug and said, "I love you Harry, and I always will." He let go of Harry, who climbed onto the train just in time. Harry watched Sirius from his compartment as the train began to pull out of the station. He didn't stop waving until the platform was out of sight.


	5. Epilogue: Letters Home

See previous chapters for disclaimer; no point in me posting one here.

Epilogue: Letters Home 

          Over the course of the year, Sirius and Remus received many letters detailing the course of Harry's school year. Hedwig got plenty of exercise as Harry wrote about everything he could think of, from being Sorted into Gryffindor, to Ron and Hermione, to having tea with Hagrid. They were ecstatic when Harry wrote to say that he'd been selected as the Seeker for the Gryffindor house team, although not quite as ecstatic about the circumstances leading up to his selection, and Sirius sent him a new Nimbus 2000 along with a letter of congratulations that was fairly glowing with pride.

          Harry wrote about his classes, his friends, his first Quidditch match, everything. Sirius was annoyed when he wrote about the Potions master, and had a few choice things to say about Snape in his reply. Both Sirius and Remus were somewhat less than thrilled when Harry wrote about, and when they received a letter from Prof. McGonagall about, the incident with Baby Norbert and the resulting detention in the Forbidden Forest. 

And both were absolutely stunned when they received a letter from the Headmaster regarding the Philosopher's Stone, Quirrell, and Harry's heroic efforts in saving it. Both sent Harry long letters describing their pride in him and their love for him, along with a lecture on telling an adult about these things next time. They also sent along quite a lot of sweets. 

          And when Harry stepped off the train at the end of the year to see Sirius and Remus frantically waving and extremely glad to see him, he felt for the first time that he was really going home.

**~*~**

And now the Author's Note! ::trumpet fanfare:: I would just like to thank everyone who bothered to read my previous story, even if it remains uncompleted. I know, I know; I said I would finish that up before posting my new story. I'm afraid that "Escape from the Dursleys" will have to remain uncompleted, as I honestly can't think of a good way to wrap it up. It has, however, been reposted with revisions to correct previous errors. Finally, special thanks go to RonGirl and Andrew, my favorite reviewers.


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